My Good Friend Norman

I went to an exhibit featuring Norman Rockwell at the Smithsonian American Art Museum today. It was delightful! Norman Rockwell truly had a gift for telling stories by capturing expression. As a result of this gift, he stirs all sorts of emotions in his audience. Not only is it fun to see the expressions captured in his paintings, but also to see the expressions of those viewing his works. Of all the paintings they had on display (which I am guessing is only a small collection), I have decided to share my favorites with you. Just remember, I am not an art critic, I am a 24 year old girl who loves to laugh and dream. We'll save the best for last, shall we? (All of the images in this blog post have come from Google Images.)

7. The JuryI just love the variety of expression and body language. My favorite is the female juror. You can just see the frustration she is creating in that room, yet she is standing firm.

6. Peach Crop

One word: Romantic. I must tell you the story behind this one: The young man is a medical student, working to earn his last year's tuition on a peach orchard, while his wealthy, beautiful, socialite fiancee is away in the city. In this scene the sharecropper's daughter has injured herself and the young man comes to her rescue only to realize she has stolen his heart. I feel like Anne of Green Gables when I think about it, putting myself in the place of that poor, distressed damsel.

5. Window Washer
How can you not chuckle at this one? I would love to be on the receiving end of that wink. I like to think they have met before, but she wants a guy with more class. Luckily for her, he's persistent, and they'll eventually end up together. Doesn't it seem like a scene from Thoroughly Modern Millie?

4. The Flirts
I absolutely love this one. I didn't just chuckle at this one. I full-out laughed. I just love the expressions of the two men in the truck. I think she made their day, and I'll bet they made hers too; she's just not willing to show it.

3. Three Gossips
This painting is hilarious to me. I wish I knew the details of the background better. Apparently Norman had a difficult time finding models who were goofy-looking enough. He eventually settled on a male model who posed for all three of the women. Apparently Norman thoroughly enjoyed watching his friend prancing around the studio dressed as a woman. The best part though, is the expression of the woman standing next to me. I don't know if I can put it into words: confusion, repulsion, weirded-out? I don't think she had read the background of it yet.

2. Boy Reading Adventure Story
I do this when I read. I have lived on prairies while Captain Jack tried to steal my heart; I have worked in potato fields in Poland while hiding from Nazis; I have lived in a bright pink house and harvested honey with black women; I have ridden down a hill in a Red Flyer with my good buddy Hobbes; I have been the Italian heiress of my deceased mother's fortune; I have rejected the proposal of Mr. Collins, but not without laughing; I have attended Hogwarts; I have escaped from the Chateau d'If, I have survived in the wilderness with nothing but a hatchet; I once made a sponge cake with real sponges on accident; I have survived the Fire Swamp and R.O.U.S.s with my true love.

1. Going and Coming
Oh the expression! I love to see the changes in everyone's (except for Grandma's) expressions. This one strikes home. Family vacations always seem like a good idea, but they are exhausting on so many levels!

After going through this exhibit and reading all the personal stories from Norman Rockwell's life, I truly feel as though I have made a dear friend. I just kept thinking how much he would have loved to see the many expressions of his admirers: reminiscent, jolly, proud, touched, content, weirded-out, sympathetic, analytical, patriotic. It was as if you could see the child within each individual by the looks on their faces. The expression I repeatedly found coming to my face was pure delight with a full, toothy smile.

The Big City

This is what I see every day on my commute to work. My favorite part of the day is my commute because I love to people-watch. It fascinates me to see their shoes. Some people take their shoes very seriously around here and would not be caught dead in anything that is not designer. On the other hand, there are those who are not willing to sacrifice their feet for style; they have flip flops or tennis shoes on their feet, high-heels in their hand.


I recently moved to Maryland, and I LOVE it! Besides the bagel shop and the vegetarian, kosher pizzeria down the street, there are also lots of bike trails! I have not explored them yet, but I am excited to do so. I hear the DC temple is only 10-15 minutes away on bike!


I love the weather here! It has been nice and sunny until recently. I've learned if a storm has a name, it means business. It's fun to hear it outside, and I actually do like to walk in it if I have an umbrella. The only exception is the day I was walking to the metro in my cute rain coat and matching umbrella. I was walking down the street looking very movie-esk and minding my own business when a car drove by and splashed me! I was SOAKED! It was one of those moments you think only happens in the movies. The only thing that was missing was the paparazzi. It was absurd and I don't think I will imagine being a movie star for a while.

Parallel Parking

(Thanks Google Images!)

Parallel parking has been my biggest impediment in the driving world. It was the only day I received a "C" in driver's ed. I recently have made huge bounds of progress in overcoming this obstacle. I discovered a secret, it's much easier to back in than to pull in- remember that all you future drivers, as I somehow missed it for eight long years of never getting the close spot because it was between two cars. With this newly-found secret tucked away in my pocket, I have begun battle with the parking gods. Just yesterday, Emily and I were driving around Washington D.C., and, wouldn't you know it, we were looking for a parking spot. We found one, oh yes we found one, right between two other cars. I with my, oh-so-confident bring-it-on attitude, proceded to back in, traffic whirring on the other side of us. After a few attempts of getting nowhere, I finally gave up with a sigh of exasperation. I had failed. The parking gods had gained a point over me, and we were forced to park elsewhere.

As the hours passed, we were again scavenging for a parking spot. Yet again there were several gaping holes between cars, but none in the clear. I finally picked one with an "Are you sure we can fit in there?" from Emily. With a confident, "oh yeah," I proceeded to back in, frantic to gain my point back from the parking gods. Alas, I hung my head in defeat. Score one more for the parking gods. "Wait!" I heard from the seat next to me, "he's going to help you get in!" I rose my head in desperation, only to find the man with the white trusty steed (van) parked behind us coming to our rescue! Once I conquered the 20 point parking job, our knight in shining armor walked away with his prize (don't get any ideas, it was only a thank you and a smile) and we jubilantly shouted for joy, ignoring the thought running through in the backs of our heads, "How in the world are we going to get back out?!" Score one for us!

Leap of Faith

(The above did not not occur in Virginia)

I like to call this stage of my life "Leap of Faith". As some of you may know, I have decided to move to Virginia after getting my Master's Degree in Social Work. I lept on July 9th and landed on July 11th. That's right! I have arrived! After much job searching, I found a job in Richmond. Unfortunately I don't have any clients yet, but I am trying to be patient. I will be doing in-home counseling with children and their families. This basically means that I will come to them instead of them going to an office. The job will also provide me with clinical supervision to work toward my clinical license-which basically allows me to be a counselor and makes me more marketable.

Meanwhile, back at the (Levi and Emily) Jaynes residence, this is what I have learned about Virginia:

• It is humid here.


• There are large bugs here. (According to Levi, only the small spiders in the forest are poisonous. Good to know.) My favorite bugs so far are fireflies.
  


• Bambi lives here! I saw him and his mother outside Emily's kitchen window! (Although, I happen to know that a deer was recently hit on the road, and I haven't seen Bambi or his mother since.....)
  


• The people here could not be nicer!


• It's always best to ride in a clean taxi, not a dirty one. (Words of advice from a cab driver washing his taxi as I walked by in Arlington.

• Virginia IS part of the South, and its residents are quick to point that out, although I'm not sure they have to. There is a fabulous accent here which I hope to master.

• I think you could live here your whole life and still not see all the historical war sites-they're everywhere!

• Apparently Virginia is for lovers, but I have yet to find one for myself.

I am so excited about this new adventure, and I invite all of you to please, please come join me!!!!!

The Thinker

(Thanks Google!)

This has been me for quite some time. Hence the reason I haven't posted in a while. Here's what I have been thinking about:

• There are only 16 more days until I graduate with my Master's Degree. Before then I have a final to take in a class that was originally very difficult for me to understand. The focus is a very nontraditional type of therapy. I finally thought I was beginning to grasp the concept until yesterday. We had a very confusing discussion and I realized I don't get it at all. P.A.N.I.C. There are no more classes before our final. There are no more chances for me to ask questions for the teacher to clarify. I only took this ridiculous class because I knew I liked the teacher. I had no idea what I was getting into.

• I also have to pass an oral exam (not at the dentist, as Levi pointed out) in order to graduate. Basically, three people with PhD's get to decipher whether or not I am competent to be a social worker after my hour-long presentation. Then I get to leave the room while they determine my fate. No pressure, right? To top it all off, I have to wait an agonizing 12 days for it. That's 12 whole days of THINKING!
  

• After graduation, I am going home to kill time until I find a job. What jobs am I looking for? Well, I'm not sure. Whatever it is, it's supposed to be my lifelong career though. Where am I looking for this job? Well, anywhere I have never lived (this eliminates Idaho, Washington, and Wyoming). As you can see, I am lacking direction a little bit. I am beginning to hate the phrase, "The world is your oyster!"
  
• The other concern is when I actually become employed. It could take all summer before I find a job. I can't afford that! So now I'm trying to figure out how in the world (of Filer, Idaho) I can make/save money at home.

As you can see, there is not necessarily a whole lot on my mind, but the things that are on my mind are quite consuming. It is taking all of my energy not to runaway from these thoughts this weekend. It's so tiring, all this thinking. I don't know how The Thinker has done it all these years. I just wish I had a friend to think with...

(Thanks again Google!)

Haunting Memory

I got to spend a week in Chicago with my school. It was loads of fun! I didn't spend a dime either! I got shrunk down to bug-size for an underground adventure, ate Chicago pizza, cracked the whip, visited Jane Adams' Hull House, stared the Man Eaters of Tsavo (the lions from Ghost in the Darkness) right in the face, went up to the 94th floor of "the John" in less than 1 minute on the Northern Hemisphere's fastest elevator, etc., etc. While all of these created great memories, one experience brought back a bad memory:
















This is me and my street-vendored hog dog and the scoundrels who were coveting it. I'm onto their tricks though and I told them so.

It all started on a sunny day at Sea World. (If this were a TV show, this would be the part where the screen gets all fuzzy and fades into a black and white scene.) I was about 15 years old (most likely wearing pig-tail braids), happily walking to the next sea creature show with Mom, Dad, and teenage versions of Will and Levi. (Both were wearing baseball caps, I'm sure.) My appetite was being satisfied after a very persuasive argument-most likely pleading-with Dad that I would die without a nice cinnamony-sugary snack.
So there I was, churro in hand, the breeze in my hair, the sun on my already sun-kissed face, and the scent of fish in the air. Life was good. Unfortunately I was not paying attention to anything else in the air, but they were most certainly paying attention to me! (BUM, BUM, BUM!)
Before I knew it, a seagull was swooping down out of nowhere with his eye on my victual! He grabbed hold of the top with his ferocious talons, but my death grip only allowed him to break off the top. Then, as if that weren't enough, ANOTHER beast swooped down in an attempt to capture what was left behind! They were tag-teaming it!! They had conspired against me!! The second brute didn't get it all either because of my ninja grip, so I decided to get even and threw the rest of it at him! I don't remember if I hit him or not, all I remember is my rage and the laughter of everyone witnessing the incident.

Lesson learned: protect your food or you may be feeding the scavenging brutes of the sky. (Your imagination can now fade back into present day.)

Strangers

Since arriving at graduate school, I have been very impressed with the kindness of strangers.

• The other day I was walking alone to class. When I reached my building, two guys walked out of the door I was walking toward. Both of them had sideways baseball caps, baggy pants, piercings, and puffy coats with fur linings (not my typical crowd). I was probably a good 20 feet away from the door when they exited. One of the guys saw me after they walked a few feet from the door and walked back to open it for me. I felt like royalty :)
• Last quarter, I discovered an informal volleyball cohort who play weekly. One day I asked if I could join them and was told I was welcome to come whenever I wanted. I have greatly appreciated these strangers who have created an outlet for my stress. I have something to look forward to every week!
• As part of my internship, I am required to ride along with the firefighters. They always feed me no matter which station I'm visiting. One day, a certain firefighter insisted I take home some leftovers. It fed me for three whole days!
• The other day, I decided to give public transportation a go. I tried my best to look like I knew what I was doing and to send the message that no one should mess with me. It seemed like something one should do when surrounded by strangers in an enclosed space. When I was trying to get off the bus, I could not get around someone to get to the door. The bus driver did not see me and closed the door. I yelled for her to wait but she didn't hear me. I silently started to panic as she prepared to go again. Just as I thought it was too late, a gentleman yelled, "Back door!" The bus driver then opened the door and I was free! I was on the verge of being lost in downtown Spokane, but that kind stranger saved me.
• I recently had an issue with the headlight on my car. It was going to cost around $200 to fix. The mechanic helping me suggested an alternative to save me money. To make a long story short, it only cost me $96. That saved me a month's worth of groceries which is a lot to a poor college student.
• The other day I was walking through a crowded grocery store and saw a woman unknowingly drop half of her grocery list. I was in a hurry and did not bother to stop to pick it up for her. I figured she would see it. Just as I passed her, a man walked over, picked it up, and handed it to her. She expressed her gratitude with exclamation. I felt very guilty and have vowed never to walk past another shopper in need without offering my assistance.

These experiences have humbled me and have initiated self reflection on my part. My new goal is to be a stranger who cares enough, not only to see the needs of others, but to take action and make someone else's day better.